DARREN SAT IN THE FRONT row and the girls sat on his right, their legs swinging over the edge of the chair. When a piano in the back of the room started playing a melody, the chatter in the room died down, and the heads of all people turned around in the direction where Elle was supposed to come from, their eyes expectantly.

"Is mum coming?" Keri asked, much too loud.

"Ssshhh." But Darren couldn't help a laugh forming on his lips as a result of his little sister's behavior and the accumulated nerves of this day now all coming back to him in this small but meaningful moment. He told Keri that yes, her mother was about to come in and get married, so she better be quiet, and he exchanged one last glance with Larson. Their eyes met, and Larson's mouth formed an "o" from which a nervous breath escaped. When Larson's eyes went back to the door on the other side of the room, Darren turned around too, his eyes fixed on that same door behind which was his mother, having a last moment to herself before she would be united with Larson in an eternal bond.

His heart started beating a little faster when he noticed movement in the door. Slowly, the gap in the door widened, but he didn't see his mother right away. When the doors were open enough, she appeared from the side and took a turn to walk through the doors down the aisle in her slowest but most important walk of her lifetime.

Her dress was a warm-toned white, made from lace in a sleek fit that made her look slim. Her hair was in an updo. In the first steps she took, she was looking down at her feet, perhaps to check if she wasn't stepping on her dress, but when she lifted her chin and looked across the room, her eyes met Larson for the first time that day, and a big smile appeared on her lips.

Darren let out a sigh of relief. To think he had once been scared of robbing his parents of love, convinced he had been the cause of their divorce, this moment offered him relief and happiness. It had taken over forty years, but Elle had finally found the one, and Darren was sure of it.

He glanced back at Larson, and in this quick snapshot, he saw his stepfather-to-be's eyes standing big in amazement and his mouth forming the word "wow". Darren snickered, but quickly turned back to his mother to see her take her steps closer toward the altar. A veil trailed on behind her, its edges graced with lace similar to the one on her dress, and the closer she came, the more Darren noticed the fine detailing of her outfit. The glow she carried was her most distinct feature; it made her appear years younger than she actually was.

When she was halfway down the aisle, she seemed to remember the guests that had come for this special occasion too, and she looked around. She noticed her friends, who had all taken the opportunity to get dressed up, and her ex-husband. When she saw Darren, she winked at him, as if it were a compliment for keeping his sisters quiet.

His little sisters sat quietly beside him and took the ceremony in. The pianist in the back with the white piano, the many flowers along the aisle, the formal wear of everyone present; nothing escaped their curious eyes. They were so captivated by it that they forgot to chatter in their usual excited manner – something Darren was grateful for.

As if Elle couldn't wait any longer, the rhythm of her last few steps increased, and she reached Larson with a facial expression that read, "Finally." She held out her hands, and he grabbed hers, standing facing each other and then turning to the wedding officiant.

"Welcome, everyone," the female officiant spoke towards the room of people, "to the wedding of Larson Abernathy and Elizabeth Miller." She emphasized wedding with a playful smile, looking at the two people standing before her, nervous in anticipation. "I want to thank you all for coming on behalf of Larson and Elizabeth. Today, on this very special day, they wish to share a glimpse of their love with you. What you will see is an important step in their relationship: marriage, an eternal commitment to each other. Despite the hardships they might endure that are a crucial part of love, today they will promise each other to stand by the other person's side, today and forever."

Keri leaned towards Darren. "Who is she?"

Darren replied in a whispering tone, hoping it would remind Keri she wasn't supposed to speak. "She's going to marry mum and Larson."

"Whenever we attend a wedding, we are given the opportunity to reflect on our own relationships," the officiant continued, undisturbed by Keri. She looked over the room of people, her eyes stopping at every one of them as she spoke. "We might look at the couple before us and be tempted to compare their love to the quality of our own relationships. The truth is that every relationship is as unique as the individuals in it, but one thing holds true: For love to exist between two people, each person must allow the vulnerability of giving his or her love to the other, and each must be open to receiving the other's love in turn."

"Why does she talk so boringly?" Keri asked; thankfully, in her whisper voice.

"Ssshhh," Darren just said, trying not to laugh. While he did agree that the officiant could've made the story more engaging or unique, this was not the time to discuss her shortcomings. Instead, he focused on his mother and stepfather, who only seemed to have eye for each other.

"Today, Larson and Elizabeth want to celebrate their love with you," the officiant went on. "Now, it's time to share their vows."

Elle looked up at the officiant expectantly.

"But before you do, look at each other one more time," the officiant said, a smile toying on her lips. She knew she was stretching their patience. "Remember this moment in time. You are about to become husband and wife. A new journey is awaiting you. And in that journey, I want you to think back to this moment and tell each other, 'Remember those dreams? The hopes we had for our future? I meant every word of that, and I still do.' Let this moment not just be a symbol for your love, but a beacon of hope to look back on."

The woman let a silence fall for a few seconds, and Elle and Larson did as they were told: they looked at each other, their eyes shining bright. Elle was not able to contain her smile and bit her lip as she looked into Larson's eyes. Larson grinned back at her.

"Larson would like to share his vows first."

Larson nodded at the comment of the officiant and let go of Elle's hands to take a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I'm sorry," he smirked, directing the words towards his audience. "Usually, I know exactly what to say, but this woman does something to me. I need the notes, or I'd be standing stammering here all day."

The audience chuckled.

Larson folded his notes open and held the page with both hands. Darren noticed how much he was quivering; the paper was shaking in his hands. "Elizabeth. Elle." Larson pressed his lips together and looked up at the woman he was talking to. She gave him an encouraging smile.

"It was October sixteenth, 2016. I took the bus to work, like I did any other day. It was supposed to be a quiet, twenty-minute ride" – here, Larson already started smiling broadly – "and I decided to sit down next to this woman I didn't know, ready to take out a book and spend the twenty minutes reading 15-Minute Workouts for Dummies." He turned his head again. "I guess that says a lot about me," he said in his usual, Larson voice, joking and light-hearted. "The lazy dummy who wished to workout but not for more than fifteen minutes at a time. I never got further than reading the book, by the way."

It earned him another laugh from the guests.

He continued in a collected voice, but if Darren had to guess, he was far from calm on the inside. "It didn't take long before I realized something was up. I had never seen this beautiful woman before on the bus. Was it my lucky day?"

Elle smiled. She knew what was coming.

"Far from it. I had taken the wrong bus, so that twenty-minute ride quickly turned into a fifty-minute one instead. I got up, tried to get off the bus, but we were already driving and there was no turning back." Larson looked up from his notes for his eyes to meet Elle's. "At the time, I was pissed, of course. But now?" His eyes glimmered. "I think it was fate."

His next words were directed at the audience. "That beautiful woman? I would come to know her as Elle Miller. We got to talking, all the way until the next bus stop. That's when she asked me, 'Shouldn't you get off?' I told her I shouldn't, because the trip would be shorter if I waited for the next stop and took a different bus from that stop." Larson grinned. "It was a lie. And if you think lying is a bad way to start off a relationship, I have to disappoint you by saying I would lie at least a dozen more times in the weeks after. You see, I took the wrong bus every day." He turned to Elle. "For you."

She blushed and bit her lip in an attempt to stop it.

"For weeks, I took the wrong bus, just so I could spend more time with you. I got to work late every day, but I didn't care. I knew, right from that moment I first met you, I wanted to be with you. Every possible minute." Now, a humbled smile appeared, an expression Darren had never seen before on the face of his stepfather-to-be. "And I am so grateful to be standing here today, facing you, knowing that I will spend every minute of the rest of my life by your side."

Then, he folded his notes up and handed them to Darren, just as they had agreed on. Elle grabbed his hands and pulled him toward her, and she suppressed the desire to kiss him. Instead, the officiant told her it was time for her to speak her vows.

"Larson," she said, and just the name put a smile to her face. "Here we are." She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts as she spoke. While she had seemed calm before, Darren could imagine her heart beating a little faster now. She wasn't much of a public speaker, and contrary to Larson, she decided to not use notes.

"Who would've thought that this strange guy, reading about working out and going through life by making everyone smile, would wait on me at the altar?" She smiled. "And yet, here he is, and I couldn't be happier." She gripped his hands a little tighter. "I'm honoured to be standing in front of you today, and I'm proud to be called your future wife."

Darren saw the sparkle in her eyes, one speaking of the happiness glowing from within. If he knew any true fact about weddings, it was that they made you want to find the One too.

"You, Larson, make me so happy. I was forty-something" – she smiled at the audience as she said this, her first acknowledgement of the other people in the room – "and recently divorced when I met you, and I was afraid I would never meet the one." She relaxed her shoulders and paused to let the words sink in. "But there you were. You made me laugh like I haven't in years."

Without intending to, Dakota's face suddenly appeared to the forefront of Darren's mind, a large smile playing on her lips. You make me laugh like I haven't in years.

"Your stupid, silly jokes are the light of my day," Elle continued. "But the thing that is most important, and I think that when I realized this is when I fell in love with you, was that you make my life better. My life is brighter with you in it, and it feels like this is the first time I'm actually living."

The words sent a shiver up Darren's spine, and he felt his lip tremble. The first time I'm actually living. Hadn't he thought exactly that every time Dakota took him on an adventure with her? The most memorable moments of his past six months in the States were the spontaneous ones, the ones she was in. Going bowling after school, spending the night under the stars, waking up next to her...

"You take me out of my comfort zone and show me this whole new world that I never would've gotten to know otherwise, and I love every moment of it." Elle seemed to hesitate, looking away from Larson, and when she began to speak again, her voice was quiet and her eyes soft. "I want this – you – for the rest of my life. So, without hesitation and with all of my heart, I ask you: Larson, will you go on this journey with me?"

The audience burst out clapping. The sound was so loud Darren couldn't hear what Larosn said and only saw his mouth move. Darren joined the applause a few seconds in, too lost in thought to realize his mother had ended her vows already. With great anticipation, the couple looked each other in the eyes, and now more than ever did they seem unable to wait any longer to say I do.

"Larson, please take the ring and repeat after me," the marriage officiant said after the applause had died down.

Larson obeyed.

"I, Larson Abernathy..."

"I, Larson Abernathy..."

"... hereby take you, Elizabeth Miller..."

Larson only had eyes for Elle when he spoke his vow. "... hereby take you, Elizabeth Miller..."

"... to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"... to be my lawfully wedded wife."

An unexpected smile grew on Darren's lips, and a warm feeling swelled within him. So, this was love.

"Let this ring be a token of my love and devotion to you. I choose to be your husband this day and forevermore."

Then, the ring was slid over Elle's ring finger, and both of them had the biggest smiles on their faces as they shared their joy.

The marriage officiant then asked Elle to repeat the vow after her too.

"I, Elizabeth Miller, hereby take you, Larson Abernathy, to be my lawfully wedded husband." Elle's voice broke, but she didn't let that stop her from continuing the vow. "Let this ring be a token of my love and devotion to you. I choose to be your wife this day and forevermore." She put the ring around Larson's finger, and the audience burst out in applause, some people even standing up. Darren clapped as hard as he could.

As if they had been constraining themselves all this time, Larson and Elle kissed each other, her hands on his cheeks and his hands in her neck, pulling her close to him. Then, they hugged each other, before turning to the guests and showing off their rings by raising their outstretched hands.

Darren continued clapping, and he even cheered along with his little sisters. Now more than ever did he desire to feel that same love his mother and stepfather were proclaiming, but at the same time, he couldn't shake the thought he already had experienced that feeling.

Has anyone ever told you that wedding scenes are the hardest to write? And somehow, I keep putting myself in the position to write just that: wedding scenes. Maybe because they're so adorable in the end 😍